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RI pension overhaul may head to the courts
Court News |
2011/11/18 09:03
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Rhode Island is taking dramatic steps toward fixing one of the nation's most underfunded public pension systems, but the true battle with public-sector unions may be just beginning.
State lawmakers ignored jeers from public workers and the threat of a lawsuit Thursday to pass sweeping changes to the pension system covering 66,000 active and retired public workers.
The legislation is designed to save billions of dollars in future years by backing away from promises to state and municipal workers that lawmakers say the state can no longer afford. Gov. Lincoln Chafee, an independent, said he will sign the bill.
Public-sector union leaders promised a court challenge before the final votes were even cast.
"The attorneys are going to make a lot of money," Philip Keefe, president of Local 580, which represents social service, administrative and technical workers. "If this is overturned, it will be you, me and every other taxpayer that is on the hook for billions."
Supporters acknowledged that a lawsuit was inevitable but said the bill was thoroughly reviewed for any legal problems. Supporters said one of the reasons for the bill was to ensure there's money available when today's workers retire.
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Missouri Supreme Court upholds strip club restrictions
Court News |
2011/11/17 09:46
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The Missouri Supreme Court has upheld a 2010 state law imposing restrictions on strip clubs and other sexually oriented businesses.
In a unanimous decision Tuesday, the court rejected claims from the adult entertainment industry that the law infringed on free expression rights and was passed in violation of legislative procedures.
The court said there was enough evidence to support the Legislature's belief that the restrictions served a government interest in minimizing negative effects from sexually oriented businesses.
The law requires sexually themed businesses to close by midnight. It also bans full nudity, alcohol, minors and touching between semi-nude employees and customers.
The Supreme Court's ruling affirms a prior decision by a Cole County judge. |
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Lawyer: 'Bullying' led to Hawaii shooting by agent
Court News |
2011/11/17 09:03
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The federal agent charged with killing a man in a McDonald's restaurant in Hawaii was protecting himself and others, his attorney said Thursday.
State Department Special Agent Christopher Deedy made his first court appearance Thursday on charges of second-degree murder in the Nov. 5 shooting of Kollin Elderts, 23, of Kailua.
During the brief hearing, a district judge agreed to turn over the case to Circuit Court, where Deedy is expected to be arraigned Monday. Circuit Court has jurisdiction in the case after an Oahu grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday.
"The reason this started was because Mr. Elderts was harassing and bullying others," Deedy's Honolulu attorney, Brook Hart, said in an interview before the hearing.
He didn't provide details but said Deedy was protecting himself and others from a man "who aggressed on him."
"This isn't a matter of a man who took out a gun and started shooting in a McDonald's," Hart said. "It's not a willy-nilly misuse of a firearm."
Deedy, a 27-year-old agent from Arlington, Va., was in Honolulu to help with security for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. |
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Judge rejects appeal by Abramoff's former partner
Court News |
2011/11/14 01:22
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Ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff's former partner in crime shouldn't expect relief on his appeal to reduce a $20 million restitution order.
The chief of the federal appeals court in Washington, Judge David Sentelle, told Michael Scanlon's lawyer at arguments Monday the court cannot change his client's plea agreement. The court will issue its final order in writing.
Scanlon is serving a 20-month sentence for bilking Indian tribes of millions. Abramoff persuaded the tribes that hired him for lobbying to pay inflated fees for Scanlon's public relations services, and they secretly split the profits.
Scanlon pleaded guilty in part to defrauding the tribal clients of their right to "honest services." The Supreme Court weakened the honest services law last year and Scanlon argues the restitution should be lowered to reflect that ruling.
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Court likely to overturn Calif. law on livestock
Court News |
2011/11/10 09:42
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The Supreme Court seemed ready Wednesday to block a California law that would require euthanizing downed livestock at federally inspected slaughterhouses to keep the meat out of the nation's food system.
The court heard an appeal from the National Meat Association, which wants a 2009 state law blocked from going into effect. California barred the purchase, sale and butchering of animals that can't walk and required slaughterhouses under the threat of fines and jail time to immediately kill nonambulatory animals.
But justices said that encroached on federal laws that don't require immediate euthanizing.
"The federal law does not require me immediately to go over and euthanize the cow. Your law does require me to go over and immediately euthanize the cow. And therefore, your law seems an additional requirement in respect to the operations of a federally inspected meatpacking facility," Justice Stephen Breyer told a California lawyer. |
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Investment Fraud Litigation |
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Securities fraud, also known as stock fraud and investment fraud, is a practice that induces investors to make purchase or sale decisions on the basis of false information, frequently resulting in losses, in violation of the securities laws. Securities Arbitration. Generally speaking, securities fraud consists of deceptive practices in the stock and commodity markets, and occurs when investors are enticed to part with their money based on untrue statements.
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The content contained on the web site has been prepared by Securities Law News as a service to the internet community and is not intended to constitute legal advice or a substitute for consultation with a licensed legal professional in a particular case. | Affordable Law Firm Website Design by Law Promo |
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